Leon sebpollet



(No Model.)

L. SERPOLLET. 8

- STEAM GENERATOR. v No. 392,934. Patented-Nov. 13, 1888.

2' V5; I; 2; I

NITE STATES LEON SERPOLLET, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

STEAM-GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 392,934. dated November 13, 1888.

Serial No. 283,656. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON SERPOLLET, of Paris, Republic of France, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Instantaneous Steam-Generators, which is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to improvements which experience has led me to make in generators'for instantaneously converting water or other liquid into steam or vapor, and has for its object to give to the tubes or vaporizing elements of these generators a larger immediate heating capacity by means of the massiveness of their walls, to favor the passage of the liquid and its vapor by permitting a certain augmentation of the initial capillary space, to protect the interior of the tubes from attack by certain fluids, and, finally, to insure the expulsion of any deposits which may possibly form.

I have ascertained that the vaporization of a liquid whose injection is effected by apump the flow from which is regulated by a governor can be made in a capillary space whose walls are strongly heated; but in order that vaporization may take place under the best conditions I have also ascertained that it is important on the one hand to have the walls very thick or massive, (particularly where the liquid is injected and for a suitable distance beyond,) and on the other hand to have the space under consideration, which may be capillary when cold and empty, become in operation and under pressure semi-capillary that is to say, larger than capillary, but at the same time sufficiently narrow to flatten the liquid globules, which, in contact with the highly-heated walls, tend to assume the spheroidal state. By the great massiveness of the walls, which serve as reservoirs of heat to the fluid in immediate contact therewith, I increase the regularity of the operation in spite of variations in temperature of the fire, and at the same time, by opening a less-contracted orifice to these fluids, I diminish the loss of the charge which results from their passage through too small an orifice.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, and 2 are perspective views of sections of the vaporizing elements. Figs. 3 and 4t are a perspective and a sectional view, respectively,

of two modes of arranging an element. Fig. 5 is an elevation showing the ends of an element. Fig. 6 is a section of a generator, and Figs. 7 and 8 are details of the same.

The flateapillary space 0 0 may be annular, and may be obtained by means of two concentric tubes, A B, Fig. 1, or it may be straight, resulting from the flattening of a tube, V, Fig. 2, whose outside may be smooth, or may be ribbed for increasing the surface exposed to the fire. The annular form, by reason of the parallel dilations of the concentric walls, furnishes greater resisting capacity, but admits less readily than the flat form the passage in operation of an initial capillary space into a less contracted space; and it is advisable to give to this annular form at the start, particularly in the region where the water is injected, a space less capillary (or nearly capillary,) as well as giving to its walls the necessary massiveness, which always much exceeds the thickness necessary to resist the pressure.

It is with tubes of very thick walls of either of the forms (Fig. 1 or 2 and 2) that I make my improved generators, using one or more tubes wound in spiral, Fig. 3, or helical, Fig. 4, form, or'straight, Fig. 6. \Vhen I use more than one tube, I connect them as a battery by suitable pipes. The elements are each provided with an inlet, E, Figs. 3, 4-, and 5, and an outlet, S. WVith the flat tubes the possible separation under strong pressure is restricted by the interposed pieces D.

A metal bridge-piece, Z,Fig. 3, serves, in the spiral form of generator, to connect the exterior coil with the next inside one, the bridgepiece being firmly secured to each. In the helical generators, Fig. 4, similar bridgepieees, Z, are used to connect the coils together, so as to avoid change of shape.

In the generator of Figs. 6, 7, and 8 there are a number of flat straight t-ubes,V, arranged in two stories. The inlets E of all the tubes are placed out of reach of the fire, and are each connected by the tubes 25 with the distributing pipe T, from which the vaporizing elements V are supplied through the tubes t. The outlets S, also out of reach of the fire, are connected by tubes t with a collecting-pipe, T, for the vapor. On each of the pipes T T is a small safety-valve. (Not shown.) For each 2 emcee tube t there is a screw-valve, 1", which regulates the quantity of liquid injected into each vaporizing-tube V, and on each tube t a petcock, r, (preferably athree-way coek,) which permits the vaporization in each element to be examined by producing a jet of vapor, while permitting the normal current of the vapor to pass to the outlet.

Bars 0 serve to support the elements, and interposed pieces Drestrict to the desired degree the separation of the interior walls of the vaporizing-tubes.

The beams H, on opposite sides of the rows of vaporizing-tubes and bearing against the adjacent tubes by means of suitable projections or teeth on the beams, are connected to gether by tie-bars I, which, with the interposed pieces D, before mentioned, prevent all undue spreading of the walls of the tubes V. Since the tubes V are flattened in such manner that their interior contiguous walls, forming the capillary space e c, are in almost perfect contact, a small play is allowed in setting up the apparatus between each vaporizing-tube and the interposed pieces D, to permit, in operation and under interior pressure, a slight separation of the walls a b, Fig. 2, in order to increase a little the capillary space e 0, notwithstanding the massiveness of these walls, which, by reason of their comparative length,

' admit of a certain flexure, even if they are provided with ribs. In all cases, however, the inlet E, where the injection takes place, is merged into the space-e c, which is left less capillary at this point than it is farther on and at the outlet, so that this space is slightly conical or pyramidal from the liquid-inlet E to the vapor-outlet S. It is at the inlet and in the nearest and slightly-enlarged zone where deposits only can occur. To expel them, each of the tubcsV is at each stoppage opened to the atmosphere through a suitable blow-off either directly or through the distributing-pipe T, provided with a gate or valve or removable plate at the end, which is temporarily opened for this object, and the vapor and liquid in the. tube in the recoil carry everything out with them. The vaporcollecting pipe T is or may also be provided with means for giving access to the inside for cleaning.

Of course the annular capillary space of the generator shown in Fig. 1, like that of the other figures, can be made contracting toward the outlet.

Since the liquid to be vaporized may have t a corrosive action on the interior walls of the vaporizer with which it is in contact, the vaporizing-tubes, Fig. 3, are composed of a tube,

f, of noncorrodiblc metal with thin walls sufficiently flattened and re enforced by a thick coat of other metal wrought or cast thereon to give, in addition to the resistance desired, the mass which ought to be supplied, particularly in the zone occupied by the liquid, to store up the heat immediately necessary to the vaporization of this liquid and the reheating of the vapor formed.

I claim as my invention or discovery 1. In an instantaneous steam generator or vaporizer, one or more straight, spiral, or helical vaporizing-tubes having massive walls serving as a heat-reservoir, and an initial flat capillary space between such walls, which space can become slightly enlarged in operation, in combination with liquid-inlets and vapor-outlets to said tubes individually, with a valve for regulating the inflow of liquid at the inlet of each tube, and a petcock for testing the vaporization at each outlet, and with a blow-off to the tubes on the inlet side, substantially as described.

2. A vaporizing-tube having a nearly-capillary flat vaporizing-space gradually contracting from the liquid-inlet to the vaporoutlet, and with massive walls of a thickness in large excess of that requisite to resist the internal pressure, substantially as described.

3. A flattened vaporizing-tube with massive walls, and a nearly-capillary flat vaporizingspace between such walls, substantially as described.

4. An instantaneous steam'generator or vaporizer having a series of parallel or overlapping flattened vaporizing-tubes or tubular portions with massive walls and initial capillary or nearly-capillary flat vaporizingspace between said walls, and having alsointerposed pieces between such tubes or portions to prevent undue spreading of the walls, substantially as described.

5. A vaporizing tube or tubes having each a narrow flat vaporizing-space gradually contracting from the inlet to the outlet between massive walls, in combination with liquid-id lets and vapor-outlets to such tubes, and a blow-off to the vaporizing-tubes on the side of the inlet, substantially as described.

6. Aflatten'ed vaporizing-tube composed of an inner non-corrodible tube with flat capillary or nearly-capillary vaporizing-space and an exterior massive covering, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEON SERPOLLET.

Witnesses:

I. DUMONT, V. BIDAUL'I.

IOO 

